Brazil’s truck drivers strike and occupy the Capital’s esplanade after Bolsonaro speech

RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – A day after President Jair Bolsonaro’s speeches in Brasilia and São Paulo, he criticized the Supreme Court (STF) and again defended the printed ballot.

Meanwhile, truck drivers decided to block several roads in at least three states.

The roadblocks are especially in Santa Catarina, Paraná and Espírito Santo. In addition, a group of one hundred truckers decided to block the Esplanade of the Ministries in Brasilia and are trying to get access to the Supreme Court (STF) and Congress.

According to leaders of the category, who do not endorse the truckers’ protests, a good part of the stoppages are organized by groups that support the government.

According to the Federal Highway Police, 22 cities in Santa Catarina face roadblocks due to the strike, including Navegantes and Itajaí.

In Paraná, truck drivers are blocking highways near Maringá. In Espírito Santo, truck drivers are concentrated in the surroundings of cities like Vila Velha and Ibatiba.

According to the Ministry of Infrastructure, which monitors strikes on the roads, the movement is spontaneous. “There is no coordination of any sectorial entity of road transport of cargo, and the composition of the mobilizations is heterogeneous, not limited to demands linked to the category,” the ministry said in a statement.

“The Federal Highway Police is in all identified locations and works to ensure the free flow with the tendency to end the mobilizations by 0h of the day 09.”